Request official recognition of Summer Learning Day from your mayor, aligned with National Summer Learning Association's July 14th activities, or in conjunction with any local summer events or advocacy days you are planning.

Most offices require up to eight weeks of advance notice for proclamations, so now is the time to make this request and to send this along to your partners!

For questions about the purpose of a proclamation and submitting a proclamation, contact Michelle Rich at mrich@sppg.com. Especially if you get one signed, we'd love to know about it!

New IAA Advocacy Guidance Released

There are many ways you can advocate for your program and your students every day of the year. In fact, it's critical that you advocate for your program with local, state, and federal decision-makers to ensure you are able to be a much-needed support for your community's children, youth, and families. New Advocacy Guidance has been released by the Iowa Afterschool Alliance that can help you in your advocacy efforts, from formulating your messages to daily activities for advocacy.

To check out the new Advocacy Guidance, visit the Policy Page on the Iowa Afterschool Alliance website.

Five Ways Principals Can Promote Summer Learning

During the school year, the school community dedicates everything they've got to nurturing students' academic growth and development. As the summer months approach, the hard-won gains are at-risk of slipping away. Here are some tips for principals to support all students during the critical summer months:

Develop, coordinate, and/or support a summer program to keep kids learning over the summer!

Encourage teachers to talk with parents about summer learning loss and the importance of summer reading.

On Wednesday, May 4, Congressman Dave Loebsack of Iowa's Second Congressional District (primarily Southeast Iowa) visited Davenport's Madison Elementary School afterschool program. Madison's 21st Century Community Learning Center program is integrated into the school day as part of the school's full service schools model where community services are accessible through the school.

Congressman Loebsack has been named the Iowa Afterschool Alliance's Friend of Afterschool this year. The Friend of Afterschool is the elected official that most visibly supports afterschool in Iowa. Through the Congressman's advocacy for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, informal STEM learning, and rural afterschool programming, he definitely is deserved of the award.

Madison Elementary School Principal Steve Mielenhausen has been named the Iowa Afterschool Alliance's Principal of the Year and will travel with the IAA to Washington, DC at the end of May to participate in the Afterschool for All Challenge.

Support Afterschool: Take the Virtual Challenge

On Tuesday, May 24, more than 250 afterschool advocates will bring their powerful stories to Capitol Hill. The Afterschool Alliance is calling on you to join these advocates by taking the Afterschool for All Virtual Challenge.

With last year's passage of a new education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, now is a critical time to make sure that afterschool programs are adequately funded under the new law so that every student can truly succeed.

The best way to develop support from a key policy maker (your state legislator, a U.S. Congressman or Senator, your mayor, or a school board member, for instance) is to get them on your program site to see your programming in action. The time right before elections is especially good to get them on site for good photo opportunities!

Both the Iowa Afterschool Alliance and Afterschool Alliance have numerous resources for you to schedule your own site visit. The IAA is more than happy to help you do this, too! Please contact Michelle Rich at mrich@sppg.com for help setting up a site visit with a policy maker.

For more information from the Iowa Afterschool Alliance, visit our Policy webpage here.For more information from the Afterschool Alliance, visit their Challenge webpage here.

Follow IAA on Facebook for Latest Updates

Follow the Iowa Afterschool Alliance on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iowaafterschoolalliance for the latest updates on the Every Student Succeeds Act (formerly No Child Left Behind), PD opportunities, IAA activities, and grant opportunities. Expect an update on an issue of interest every day! You can also follow us on Twitter by following @iowaafterschool.

SEDL Resources for Afterschool

Looking for resources on how to run a high-quality program? SEDL, an affiliate of the American Institutes for Research, has no-cost resources on lesson plans, practitioners' guides, and training toolkits. Visit the National Center for Quality Afterschool here: http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/.

Professional Development Opportunities

Out of School Time Professional Development Center

The Out of School Time Professional Development Center provides Out of School Time training to OST professionals. The classes provide in-depth curriculum and certificates. If you or your staff are interested in signing up for courses visit the Out-of-School Time website. Check out the entire course catalog here.

Literacy Content on Y4Y!

You 4 Youth is a free online professional development site that is designed to support 21CCLC program staff, but is a valuable tool for any afterschool professional looking to build their skills! Recently, Y4Y has rolled out a whole module on literacy. Click here to register.

Afterschool Alliance WebinarsThe Afterschool Alliance offers webinars on a wide range of topics, from policy and the new Every Student Succeeds Act, to STEM and Social-Emotional Learning. Find out more on their webinars website.

Iowa Child Care Training RegistryFind professional development for school-age programming on the State of Iowa Child Care Training Registry on topics ranging from health and safety to developmentally appropriate programming. Find out more online.

CryptoClub Summer Leader Training Workshops July 18 - 20, 2016 and July 26 - 28, 2016; Chicago, ILThe workshops will provide background in the mathematics and cryptography content and give leaders a chance to experience CryptoClub games ad activities while discussing pedagogical issues of leading a program. No prior experience necessary to train as a leader.

For more information, visit www.math.uic.edu/CryptoClubProject.Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children Early Care and Education Fall InstituteSeptember 29-October 1, 2016; Altoona, IA

Along with various other resources, the IAA maintains a list of grants that afterschool programs may access. Check out our Resources Page on our website www.iowafterschoolalliance.org/resources for more information.